Ann Van Baelen | KU Leuven (original) (raw)
Books by Ann Van Baelen
Papers by Ann Van Baelen
Notae Praehistoricae, 2019
Wommersom quartzite (WSQ) is a lithic raw material used during prehistoric times in the Rhine-Meu... more Wommersom quartzite (WSQ) is a lithic raw material used during prehistoric times in the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt (RMS) area. Its attractiveness as an archaeological research subject over a time span of more than 115 years owes much to its assumed unique geological outcrop-source in the eponymous Belgian village. This assertion makes it an ideal candidate for tackling a broad range of questions about past human behaviour in this part of North-western Europe, resulting in many hypotheses relating to its chronology, distribution, typology and/or technology and the potential meaning of this variability in terms of past (mainly Mesolithic) hominin social structures, intergroup contacts and trade networks. Distribution maps are an important element in these studies with no less than 47 of such maps being (re-)created since the first one appeared in 1913. In addition to providing a critical review of these earlier distribution maps, this paper presents up-to-date point-maps based on a dataset of more than 2.000 sites with WSQ, representing at least 84.200 WSQ-artefacts.
Notae Praehistoricae, 2018
This paper presents the results of the analyses of three recently discovered and partly excavated... more This paper presents the results of the analyses of three recently discovered and partly excavated lithic collections from Dudzele, Koolkerke and Sint-Michiels. Instigated by these discoveries, a brief overview of the Mesolithic dataset in the extreme north-western part of Belgium is provided, as well as a discussion of the westernmost distribution of Wommersom quartzite, represented by some artefacts in two of the studied collections. Despite the poor and biased nature of the current dataset from the area around Bruges, it is argued that this part of the southern North Sea basin has a large potential for finding well-preserved Mesolithic (and Palaeolithic) records, both at and (sometimes deeply buried) below the present-day surface, provided that adequate survey and excavation strategies are being applied. The investigations of these three sites forms a first important step towards a more systematic investigation of the prehistoric record in an area that is characterized by a varied and complex environmental evolution with a large but still largely obscure and unexplored prehistoric potential.
Deze publicatie presenteert de resultaten van het (geo)archeologisch en dateringsonderzoek uitgev... more Deze publicatie presenteert de resultaten van het (geo)archeologisch en dateringsonderzoek uitgevoerd op de middenpaleolithische vindplaats Sint Geertruid De Kaap (Limburg, Nederland). Deze vindplaats grenst aan de neolithische vuursteenmijnen van Rijckholt. Het onderzoek was gericht op de aard, ouderdom en formatieprocessen van lösslagen op het plateau en had als doel potentiële aanwezigheid van afgedekte, goed bewaarde middenpaleolithische vindplaatsen op De Kaap te evalueren. De profielwanden van de gegraven put leerden de onderzoekers onder meer dat de stratigrafische eenheden bestaan uit herwerkt materiaal en dat stabiele niveaus ontbreken. Een van de conclusies is dan ook dat de kans op goed bewaarde middenpaleolithische vindplaatsen in de directe omgeving van de put klein is, ook al wijst de aanwezigheid van enkele werktuigen erop dat Neanderthalers op dit plateau allerlei activiteiten hebben uitgevoerd.
Dit wetenschappelijke rapport is bestemd voor archeologen, andere professionals en liefhebbers die zich bezighouden met archeologie.
Met kennis en advies geeft de Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed de toekomst een verleden.
The nature of the LowereMiddle Palaeolithic transition has been one of the most debated questions... more The nature of the LowereMiddle Palaeolithic transition has been one of the most debated questions in early Prehistory since the mid-20th century. The root of these debates lies primarily in how early pre-historians constructed chronological models, relying heavily upon index fossils. Such models have " artificial boundaries designed to provide structure to a complex record and, rather than being conceived of as permanent or real, should be frequently examined and revised (Corbey and Roebroeks, 2001) " (Monnier, 2006). In this paper, we will not focus our efforts on issues relating to nomenclature and systems of classification. Instead, we will focus on a time frame within which rapid behavioural and technological changes have been documented: the period between MIS 9 to 6. Working on a large scale, and taking account of all of northwestern Europe and its southern fringes, a group of researchers working on the main sites from this period propose an assessment of current research on the emergence of the " Middle Palaeolithic ". Using a rich corpus of archaeological sites, we discuss how humans occupied northwestern Europe and its southern margins between MIS 9 to 6, focusing particularly on questions of taphonomy, conservation, chronology and environment, as well as reviewing the pattern of technological change within lithic assemblages. This overview of current research into the emergence of the Middle Palaeolithic will help to define future research paths and advance our understanding of this key period of human evolution.
Gerichte prospectie naar (prehistorische) vondstclusters I: enkele boorsimulaties gericht op een ... more Gerichte prospectie naar (prehistorische) vondstclusters I: enkele boorsimulaties gericht op een evaluatie van de onderlinge afstand tussen boorpunten binnen een driehoeksraster Gunther NOENS & Ann VAN BAELEN The costs of surveys […] should follow from their goals, not place limits on what they can accomplish. If such increases [in costs] are needed to produce more reliable results, then we should be prepared to accept them. (Shott, 1985: 467)
by Marta Mirazon Lahr, Frances Rivera, Ronika K. Power, Federica Crivellaro, José-Manuel Maíllo-Fernández, Christopher Kiarie, Julie Lawrence, E. Mbua, Anne Muigai, Denis Misiko Mukhongo, Ann Van Baelen, Alex Wilshaw, and Robert Foley
The nature of inter-group relations among prehistoric hunter-gatherers remains disputed, with arg... more The nature of inter-group relations among prehistoric hunter-gatherers remains disputed, with arguments in favour and against the existence of warfare before the development of sedentary societies. Here we report on a case of inter-group violence towards a group of hunter-gatherers from Nataruk, west of Lake Turkana, which during the late Pleistocene/early Holocene period extended about 30 km beyond its present-day shore. Ten of the twelve articulated skeletons found at Nataruk show evidence of having died violently at the edge of a lagoon, into which some of the bodies fell. The remains from Nataruk are unique, preserved by the particular conditions of the lagoon with no evidence of deliberate burial. They offer a rare glimpse into the life and death of past foraging people, and evidence that warfare was part of the repertoire of inter-group
relations among prehistoric hunter-gatherers.
This papers describes a large, hitherto unpublished collection of surface finds (collection ‘Dils... more This papers describes a large, hitherto unpublished collection of surface finds (collection ‘Dils 2005-2012’) from the extensive and rich multi-period stone age site Zundert – De Hoge Moer/De Matjens (province of Noord-Brabant, The Netherlands). It supplements a previous study focusing on earlier finds ('Dils 1993-2004') from the same site and places the entire collection, comprising over 12.600 lithic artefacts, in a wider, historical context. Intensive and repeated surveys by Dutch and Belgian (amateur) archaeologists that took place here from the 1950's onwards, have resulted in several large, partly unpublished collections (i.e. the collections of T. van Langen and J.H. Verhagen) which until now have not been the subject of a broader, comparative analysis. This article represents a first step in mapping the full potential of this site, which likely still contains finds that are preserved in situ.
On the border of the fen Monnikswijer in the community of Meeuwen-Gruitrode, two mesolithic scatt... more On the border of the fen Monnikswijer in the community of Meeuwen-Gruitrode, two mesolithic scatters of lithic artefacts were excavated. Surface finds in both the immediate and wider surroundings indicate that these scatters are part of a very large and well preserved stone age site. Next to finds in flint, Wommersom quartzite, Tienen quartzite and quartzitic sandstone, the assemblage contains an unusual high number of artefacts in Phtanite, offering unique possibilities for the study of this ill-known aspect of Mesolithic technology.
Discrete, dense scatters of artefacts are an important component of the known archaeological ston... more Discrete, dense scatters of artefacts are an important component of the known archaeological stone age record. The success achieved in locating these clusters through archaeological survey by means of (manual) auguring depends, amongst other variables, on the multi-phased character of the survey, on the location (i. e. configuration and distance) of the sample points and on our knowledge of the characteristics of the clusters we wish to discover (i. e. size, morphology, find density, composition). By means of simulations, based on existing auguring data from Flanders, this article aims to contribute to the question whether a ca. 10 m interval between the sample points in a staggered configuration, which is currently mostly applied in Flanders, is sufficient to systematically discover these artefact clusters. The results of these simulations, which have a mere illustrative character, subscribe recent claims for the urgent need to intensify our current approaches to detect stone age sites.
Sinds de late negentiende eeuw zijn talrijke middenpaleolithische vuurstenen artefacten aangetrof... more Sinds de late negentiende eeuw zijn talrijke middenpaleolithische vuurstenen artefacten aangetroffen aan de oppervlakte van het plateau De Kaap in Sint Geertuid. Om een beter inzicht te krijgen in de precieze herkomst en datering van deze menselijke werktuigen werden in 2010 en 2011 twee veldcampagnes georganiseerd op het plateau.
De nadruk lag hierbij op de beschrijving
en datering van de verschillende bodemniveaus in de ondergrond, en was verder gericht op het maken van een inschatting van de mogelijke aanwezigheid, gaafheid en conservering van middenpaleolithische vindplaatsen op deze locatie. Dit onderzoek bestond uit boorcampagne en het graven van een 4,5 meter diepe sleuf waarbij de profielwanden uitgebreid werden bemonsterd en gedocumenteerd. Tijdens het onderzoek van deze sleuf
werden op de bodem drie vuurstenen artefacten aangetroffen.
In dit artikel worden de belangrijkste (voorlopige) resultaten beknopt besproken.
Naar aanleiding van geplande spoorwegwerkzaamheden langsheen de lijn Gent-Brugge (lijn 50A) te Be... more Naar aanleiding van geplande spoorwegwerkzaamheden langsheen de lijn Gent-Brugge (lijn 50A) te Beernem en Oostkamp voerde GATE in opdracht van Infrabel tussen juni 2012 en mei 2013 een verkennend en waarderend archeologisch onderzoek door middel van proefsleuven uit . In één van de proefsleuven (ten oosten van de wissel aan de Waterstraat te Oostkamp) kwam tijdens het machinaal couperen een lithisch artefact aan het licht in de opvullingsedimenten van een archeologisch bodemspoor. Dit artefact vormt het onderwerp van deze vondstmelding. De vondstlocatie ervan is opgenomen in figuur 1. Fig. 1 -Vondstlocatie (zie ster) op een uitsnede van de topografische kaart (bron: NGI).
Notae Praehistoricae, 2012
During the summer of 2008, a second excavation campaign took place at the early Middle Palaeolith... more During the summer of 2008, a second excavation campaign took place at the early Middle Palaeolithic site of Kesselt -Op de Schans (Limburg, Belgium). Two small knapping spots, found in identical stratigraphic positions were examined. The results of this campaign support previous findings and allow the reconstruction of the ancient land surface on which four clusters of lithic artefacts were scattered. Their position within the chronostratigraphic sequence suggests an attribution to the transition MIS-9 / MIS-8.
Recent research at the loam quarry Kesselt -Op de Schans led to the discovery of 3 small clusters... more Recent research at the loam quarry Kesselt -Op de Schans led to the discovery of 3 small clusters of lithic artefacts, scattered on the same old landsurface. Based on their position within the local chronostratigraphic sequence they can be attributed to the transition MIS-9/MIS-8. The geomorphological evidence suggests comparatively fast sedimentation rates, resulting in a very good preservation of the lithic material. All three assemblages exemplify a very ad hoc fashion of the spatial organisation of production activities.
Book chapters by Ann Van Baelen
Notae Praehistoricae, 2019
Wommersom quartzite (WSQ) is a lithic raw material used during prehistoric times in the Rhine-Meu... more Wommersom quartzite (WSQ) is a lithic raw material used during prehistoric times in the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt (RMS) area. Its attractiveness as an archaeological research subject over a time span of more than 115 years owes much to its assumed unique geological outcrop-source in the eponymous Belgian village. This assertion makes it an ideal candidate for tackling a broad range of questions about past human behaviour in this part of North-western Europe, resulting in many hypotheses relating to its chronology, distribution, typology and/or technology and the potential meaning of this variability in terms of past (mainly Mesolithic) hominin social structures, intergroup contacts and trade networks. Distribution maps are an important element in these studies with no less than 47 of such maps being (re-)created since the first one appeared in 1913. In addition to providing a critical review of these earlier distribution maps, this paper presents up-to-date point-maps based on a dataset of more than 2.000 sites with WSQ, representing at least 84.200 WSQ-artefacts.
Notae Praehistoricae, 2018
This paper presents the results of the analyses of three recently discovered and partly excavated... more This paper presents the results of the analyses of three recently discovered and partly excavated lithic collections from Dudzele, Koolkerke and Sint-Michiels. Instigated by these discoveries, a brief overview of the Mesolithic dataset in the extreme north-western part of Belgium is provided, as well as a discussion of the westernmost distribution of Wommersom quartzite, represented by some artefacts in two of the studied collections. Despite the poor and biased nature of the current dataset from the area around Bruges, it is argued that this part of the southern North Sea basin has a large potential for finding well-preserved Mesolithic (and Palaeolithic) records, both at and (sometimes deeply buried) below the present-day surface, provided that adequate survey and excavation strategies are being applied. The investigations of these three sites forms a first important step towards a more systematic investigation of the prehistoric record in an area that is characterized by a varied and complex environmental evolution with a large but still largely obscure and unexplored prehistoric potential.
Deze publicatie presenteert de resultaten van het (geo)archeologisch en dateringsonderzoek uitgev... more Deze publicatie presenteert de resultaten van het (geo)archeologisch en dateringsonderzoek uitgevoerd op de middenpaleolithische vindplaats Sint Geertruid De Kaap (Limburg, Nederland). Deze vindplaats grenst aan de neolithische vuursteenmijnen van Rijckholt. Het onderzoek was gericht op de aard, ouderdom en formatieprocessen van lösslagen op het plateau en had als doel potentiële aanwezigheid van afgedekte, goed bewaarde middenpaleolithische vindplaatsen op De Kaap te evalueren. De profielwanden van de gegraven put leerden de onderzoekers onder meer dat de stratigrafische eenheden bestaan uit herwerkt materiaal en dat stabiele niveaus ontbreken. Een van de conclusies is dan ook dat de kans op goed bewaarde middenpaleolithische vindplaatsen in de directe omgeving van de put klein is, ook al wijst de aanwezigheid van enkele werktuigen erop dat Neanderthalers op dit plateau allerlei activiteiten hebben uitgevoerd.
Dit wetenschappelijke rapport is bestemd voor archeologen, andere professionals en liefhebbers die zich bezighouden met archeologie.
Met kennis en advies geeft de Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed de toekomst een verleden.
The nature of the LowereMiddle Palaeolithic transition has been one of the most debated questions... more The nature of the LowereMiddle Palaeolithic transition has been one of the most debated questions in early Prehistory since the mid-20th century. The root of these debates lies primarily in how early pre-historians constructed chronological models, relying heavily upon index fossils. Such models have " artificial boundaries designed to provide structure to a complex record and, rather than being conceived of as permanent or real, should be frequently examined and revised (Corbey and Roebroeks, 2001) " (Monnier, 2006). In this paper, we will not focus our efforts on issues relating to nomenclature and systems of classification. Instead, we will focus on a time frame within which rapid behavioural and technological changes have been documented: the period between MIS 9 to 6. Working on a large scale, and taking account of all of northwestern Europe and its southern fringes, a group of researchers working on the main sites from this period propose an assessment of current research on the emergence of the " Middle Palaeolithic ". Using a rich corpus of archaeological sites, we discuss how humans occupied northwestern Europe and its southern margins between MIS 9 to 6, focusing particularly on questions of taphonomy, conservation, chronology and environment, as well as reviewing the pattern of technological change within lithic assemblages. This overview of current research into the emergence of the Middle Palaeolithic will help to define future research paths and advance our understanding of this key period of human evolution.
Gerichte prospectie naar (prehistorische) vondstclusters I: enkele boorsimulaties gericht op een ... more Gerichte prospectie naar (prehistorische) vondstclusters I: enkele boorsimulaties gericht op een evaluatie van de onderlinge afstand tussen boorpunten binnen een driehoeksraster Gunther NOENS & Ann VAN BAELEN The costs of surveys […] should follow from their goals, not place limits on what they can accomplish. If such increases [in costs] are needed to produce more reliable results, then we should be prepared to accept them. (Shott, 1985: 467)
by Marta Mirazon Lahr, Frances Rivera, Ronika K. Power, Federica Crivellaro, José-Manuel Maíllo-Fernández, Christopher Kiarie, Julie Lawrence, E. Mbua, Anne Muigai, Denis Misiko Mukhongo, Ann Van Baelen, Alex Wilshaw, and Robert Foley
The nature of inter-group relations among prehistoric hunter-gatherers remains disputed, with arg... more The nature of inter-group relations among prehistoric hunter-gatherers remains disputed, with arguments in favour and against the existence of warfare before the development of sedentary societies. Here we report on a case of inter-group violence towards a group of hunter-gatherers from Nataruk, west of Lake Turkana, which during the late Pleistocene/early Holocene period extended about 30 km beyond its present-day shore. Ten of the twelve articulated skeletons found at Nataruk show evidence of having died violently at the edge of a lagoon, into which some of the bodies fell. The remains from Nataruk are unique, preserved by the particular conditions of the lagoon with no evidence of deliberate burial. They offer a rare glimpse into the life and death of past foraging people, and evidence that warfare was part of the repertoire of inter-group
relations among prehistoric hunter-gatherers.
This papers describes a large, hitherto unpublished collection of surface finds (collection ‘Dils... more This papers describes a large, hitherto unpublished collection of surface finds (collection ‘Dils 2005-2012’) from the extensive and rich multi-period stone age site Zundert – De Hoge Moer/De Matjens (province of Noord-Brabant, The Netherlands). It supplements a previous study focusing on earlier finds ('Dils 1993-2004') from the same site and places the entire collection, comprising over 12.600 lithic artefacts, in a wider, historical context. Intensive and repeated surveys by Dutch and Belgian (amateur) archaeologists that took place here from the 1950's onwards, have resulted in several large, partly unpublished collections (i.e. the collections of T. van Langen and J.H. Verhagen) which until now have not been the subject of a broader, comparative analysis. This article represents a first step in mapping the full potential of this site, which likely still contains finds that are preserved in situ.
On the border of the fen Monnikswijer in the community of Meeuwen-Gruitrode, two mesolithic scatt... more On the border of the fen Monnikswijer in the community of Meeuwen-Gruitrode, two mesolithic scatters of lithic artefacts were excavated. Surface finds in both the immediate and wider surroundings indicate that these scatters are part of a very large and well preserved stone age site. Next to finds in flint, Wommersom quartzite, Tienen quartzite and quartzitic sandstone, the assemblage contains an unusual high number of artefacts in Phtanite, offering unique possibilities for the study of this ill-known aspect of Mesolithic technology.
Discrete, dense scatters of artefacts are an important component of the known archaeological ston... more Discrete, dense scatters of artefacts are an important component of the known archaeological stone age record. The success achieved in locating these clusters through archaeological survey by means of (manual) auguring depends, amongst other variables, on the multi-phased character of the survey, on the location (i. e. configuration and distance) of the sample points and on our knowledge of the characteristics of the clusters we wish to discover (i. e. size, morphology, find density, composition). By means of simulations, based on existing auguring data from Flanders, this article aims to contribute to the question whether a ca. 10 m interval between the sample points in a staggered configuration, which is currently mostly applied in Flanders, is sufficient to systematically discover these artefact clusters. The results of these simulations, which have a mere illustrative character, subscribe recent claims for the urgent need to intensify our current approaches to detect stone age sites.
Sinds de late negentiende eeuw zijn talrijke middenpaleolithische vuurstenen artefacten aangetrof... more Sinds de late negentiende eeuw zijn talrijke middenpaleolithische vuurstenen artefacten aangetroffen aan de oppervlakte van het plateau De Kaap in Sint Geertuid. Om een beter inzicht te krijgen in de precieze herkomst en datering van deze menselijke werktuigen werden in 2010 en 2011 twee veldcampagnes georganiseerd op het plateau.
De nadruk lag hierbij op de beschrijving
en datering van de verschillende bodemniveaus in de ondergrond, en was verder gericht op het maken van een inschatting van de mogelijke aanwezigheid, gaafheid en conservering van middenpaleolithische vindplaatsen op deze locatie. Dit onderzoek bestond uit boorcampagne en het graven van een 4,5 meter diepe sleuf waarbij de profielwanden uitgebreid werden bemonsterd en gedocumenteerd. Tijdens het onderzoek van deze sleuf
werden op de bodem drie vuurstenen artefacten aangetroffen.
In dit artikel worden de belangrijkste (voorlopige) resultaten beknopt besproken.
Naar aanleiding van geplande spoorwegwerkzaamheden langsheen de lijn Gent-Brugge (lijn 50A) te Be... more Naar aanleiding van geplande spoorwegwerkzaamheden langsheen de lijn Gent-Brugge (lijn 50A) te Beernem en Oostkamp voerde GATE in opdracht van Infrabel tussen juni 2012 en mei 2013 een verkennend en waarderend archeologisch onderzoek door middel van proefsleuven uit . In één van de proefsleuven (ten oosten van de wissel aan de Waterstraat te Oostkamp) kwam tijdens het machinaal couperen een lithisch artefact aan het licht in de opvullingsedimenten van een archeologisch bodemspoor. Dit artefact vormt het onderwerp van deze vondstmelding. De vondstlocatie ervan is opgenomen in figuur 1. Fig. 1 -Vondstlocatie (zie ster) op een uitsnede van de topografische kaart (bron: NGI).
Notae Praehistoricae, 2012
During the summer of 2008, a second excavation campaign took place at the early Middle Palaeolith... more During the summer of 2008, a second excavation campaign took place at the early Middle Palaeolithic site of Kesselt -Op de Schans (Limburg, Belgium). Two small knapping spots, found in identical stratigraphic positions were examined. The results of this campaign support previous findings and allow the reconstruction of the ancient land surface on which four clusters of lithic artefacts were scattered. Their position within the chronostratigraphic sequence suggests an attribution to the transition MIS-9 / MIS-8.
Recent research at the loam quarry Kesselt -Op de Schans led to the discovery of 3 small clusters... more Recent research at the loam quarry Kesselt -Op de Schans led to the discovery of 3 small clusters of lithic artefacts, scattered on the same old landsurface. Based on their position within the local chronostratigraphic sequence they can be attributed to the transition MIS-9/MIS-8. The geomorphological evidence suggests comparatively fast sedimentation rates, resulting in a very good preservation of the lithic material. All three assemblages exemplify a very ad hoc fashion of the spatial organisation of production activities.
Niets uit deze uitgave mag worden verveelvoudigd en/of openbaar gemaakt door middel van druk, fot... more Niets uit deze uitgave mag worden verveelvoudigd en/of openbaar gemaakt door middel van druk, fotokopie, microfilm, of op welke andere wijze ook, zonder voorafgaande toestemming van de uitgevers.